The Merchant Hotel
I’m waking up to the sound of crackling fire, and the comforting smell of burning wood. Intertwining with this aroma of wood is the fresh scent of water, accompanied by the cheerful chirps of black headed herons and African sacred ibis’. As I rise from my mattress, through my tent door I see the body outlines of all my closest family and friends standing around a fire. I turn my head to the side and on the tent floor next to me I lay my eyes on a Buffelsfontein brandy on the rocks… I rub my eyes, because this seems like a dream. I hear the faint noise of a guitar being strung and I feel the bass of the drums thumping within my chest. The immense feeling of excitement and pure freedom surrounds me, and as I sit there facing the milieu in front of me, I ask myself – am I dreaming?
And then it hits me…I am at Misty Waters! My very first Misty Waters Music Festival experience. This music festival blew my expectations out of the waters, and I will never forget the weekend I spent between the willow trees at Lake Umuzi. A weekend spent listening to a great variety of music, watching fire dancers, and chilling around bonfires with my friends.
I remember on our way to Misty Waters we drove past the Misty Waters billboard, and I couldn’t contain my excitement anymore. I knew that soon I will be standing with my toes in between the plush green grass, sipping on a drink, and watching some of my favorite South African artist’s rocking it out on stage. The first night of shows were already a clear indication of the wild weekend waiting ahead. While watching Black Cat Bones perform, through the crowd I saw a festival goer drinking Jägermeister from the bottle. The festival goer then hands the bottle to Kobus De Kock Jr, the Black Cat Bones’ lead singer, who happily takes the bottle. The guy in the crowd then removes his prosthetic leg holds it up and Kobus pours the Jägermeister into the leg. Next thing I saw, the guy was drinking Jägermeister from his own prosthetic leg. Oh, you don’t believe me?
I thought I’ve seen it all, but the next night while Dan Patlansky was shredding the guitar something even more spectacular happened…of course nothing really beats seeing Dan Patlansky live. Yet, the crowd started moving towards the lake where a big, metal Misty Waters sign was drifting on the water. All the sudden the sign is set on fire, and the most magical scene is set alight in front of us. The earth’s elements linking, with fire reflecting on the water and the sky shining bright with the Misty Waters flames, all the while you still hear Dan Patlansky performing in the background.
After an eventful night, the next day I enjoyed exploring the different food stalls at Misty Waters from spit braais, to Durban curries, and burgers. However, my favourite stall was the one selling vintage dresses and jackets, and for a fashion major this was a big plus. It was a unique experience browsing for a new dress, while listening to We Are Charlie performing in the background and drinking a beer.
I’ve been to many music festivals, but Misty Waters was by far my favorite first experience and I can’t wait for Misty Waters 2019. This music festival raised the bar for all the others, and this is only the beginning for Misty Waters.